CONTAINER GARDENING { GETTING YOUR POTS READY}

I can’t believe this black thumb is getting ready to try to tell you how to container garden. Well, I’m actually just going to tell you what I’m doing, and what I am learning. What happens from here? Well we will all just have to wait and find out. I hope it will be a bountiful harvest and not a dried up bunch of crunchy debris. I know that the Lord is pressing me to grow food for my family. REAL food. Not Genetically Modified food, but food from heirloom seeds that have been saved and are organic. I want to bring it straight into the house and onto the table where we are getting 100% of the nutrients. Our food system is so corrupt now that I am at the point where, I want to know where my food comes from.

So you know from my post, For Every Thing There is a Season, we may be moving. I don’t want to start a garden and plant my fruit trees here. So the next best thing is to container garden on my deck, trying to get the most out of the pots I already own. It may not be pretty, but if it will produce delicious beef steak tomatoes I don’t care how pretty the pot is. I spent the weekend cleaning my pots. I planted some things last year that didn’t do so well and after reading several books on container gardening I figured out why. Goodness. I should never, ever just assume I know what I am doing. Gardening is a science, for real. I tried to use left over soil from the year before. DUH. All the nutrients were used up and my containers didn’t have proper drainage. I also didn’t clean them. The most important thing that I read about getting started with growing vegetables in pots is that your pot must be free of bacteria. This really is good advice for growing anything in a pot. I pulled up my wellies ( and yes, I have a slight obsession with my Hunter Boots) and scrubbed every pot I could find around my yard after emptying all of the dirt.

I used antibacterial soap, rinsed them and then let them air dry on the deck.

Like I said, not a pretty picture and some fairly ugly pots, but I’m at the, “I don’t care point.” Money is tight and I already have these, so let’s use what we have people. I actually do like the terra cotta ones. I love the green patina they have developed over time.

Now If I can produce a crop that looks as good as this one, I will be one happy momma…

I love lots of pots too. The clay pots dry out so easily, I’d recommend springing for the potting soil with the water retention beads in it….Miracle Gro makes one….you’ll be glad you did. In the summer, I have to water the pots twice a day. If you’re even going away overnight…hire a neighborhood kid…..well worth it. Southern Living has a great container gardening book….get it at the library for ideas on plant pairings. I love growing basil and parsley in containers….it’s pretty and the bunnies can’t reach it as easily. If you want to grow tomatoes….I’d recommend the grape tomatoes, not the cherry tomatoes. They are sweeter and don’t get as “seedy”. Ok…I’ll stop now! LOL……good idea to wash the pots though!